3 Ways to Build a Social Media Presence as an OT

The rise in popularity of social media over the past decade has impacted several facets of our society including entertainment, education, our personal relationships—and our businesses. While it initially felt like those 30 second videos on TikTok were the newest trend that would eventually die down, we’re now recognizing just how impactful social media has become. 

Although social media is often thought of as just entertainment, there’s certainly an art, or should we say a science, to successfully attracting and retaining an audience on both a personal and professional level. While you may have experience as a social media user, making the shift into becoming a social media content creator requires a very different lens. 

One of the best ways to make this shift is to simply think about how you as the user consume content. What makes you stop scrolling? What makes you actually click the follow button? What makes you purchase an offering from someone you’ve never met before? What makes you recommend social media accounts to your friends and colleagues? Be sure to keep these questions in mind as you think about how you can grow your audience and build your own social media presence as an occupational therapist. 

3 Ways to Build Your Social Media Presence

So why does having a social media presence matter? If you’re running a private practice, then you’re likely trying to use social media as a means to identify your target audience (otherwise known as your ideal client) and provide them with relevant content so you can successfully market your services or offerings. If you don’t have a presence—or only have a very limited one—this can be a lot harder. So if you’re looking for ways to increase your reach and get in front of your ideal client, here are three tips to build, grow, and sustain your social media presence as an OT. 

1. Choose a niche
Chances are you’ve already chosen a niche for your practice—and this should be the niche for your content, too. A niche for an OT might be a specific setting, population, or diagnosis—like working in a school or private practice setting, working with children or adults, or working with autistic clients or clients recovering from strokes. You also might decide to niche down into supporting new OTs as they get started in the field. 

Think about your area of speciality, and the kind of people who fit into that category. Generally, social media users are drawn to a specific content based on their personality, their likes and dislikes, and content that they find most relatable. By choosing a niche and making a plan to stick to it, you’ll be able to create content that’s organically appealing to the kind of clients you’d like to attract. This will also help you feel like you’re creating content that’s authentic to you and your practice, since it’s already focused on something you’re passionate about. 

It’s important to focus on one niche so that within the first few seconds a user is on your page, they’ll immediately be able to identify who you are, what you do, and who you help. You can quickly clarify this by using a tagline in your bio such as “Helping new grad OTs feel confident in early intervention,” or “Helping improve child development by providing caregiver-friendly resources for play and learning.”  

Remember, your goal isn’t to reach everyone. Your goal is to reach your ideal customer and provide significant value so they’ll stay in your community. In some cases, the smaller communities are full of the most engaged members that eventually become loyal clients. Don’t be afraid to niche down—it may be one of the best business decisions you ever make!

2. Identify your content pillars
Once you’ve identified your niche, you’re going to get even more specific by identifying your content pillars, or what specific areas within your niche you’ll be focusing on. For example, if your niche is early intervention (EI), your content pillars might be mentorship, education, and clinical practice. The content you create might focus on helping new graduates get into EI, educating on common diagnoses, and sharing treatment ideas. 

Content pillars are an important part of capturing your audience’s attention while also helping you stay organized, clear, and focused in your messaging. Your content pillars should reflect your brand voice and be clear enough that your audience lands on your page and understands who you serve. 

The goal is for your ideal client to see the solution to their problem reflected in the content that you create. While identifying your niche is a simpler process, you’ll have to spend some time figuring out at least three to five content pillars that you’ll eventually create content around. That said, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel at this stage. These pillars should still be based on your clinical speciality and interests, which will help make it less daunting to create content. You’ll just be working with what you already know! 

3. Create a posting strategy
One of the most important factors in building a social media presence is understanding how you need to show up on the platform. Now you’ve got to focus on creating a posting strategy so that you attract your audience, increase your reach, and promote engagement with your content. 

A posting strategy determines what you’ll post, when you’ll post it, and how often you’ll post overall. People on social media are looking to connect with the people they follow, and one of the ways to ensure connection is through consistency. Consistency in your messaging and content is an integral part of being able to build up your social media presence because that’s what will attract your audience and actually keep them in your world. A posting strategy will also help you as the creator stay more organized and have a more efficient way to manage your social media platform. For instance, if you determine your best strategy is to post three times a week, you can schedule out the posts all at once to help make the process more efficient. It’s also a good idea to choose one platform to focus on and consistently show up there. Once you feel confident managing that one, you can start repurposing your content across many different platforms to expand your reach even further. 

The Value of Social Media

While understanding the strategy behind building a social media presence is crucial, it’s equally important to be aware of the shift that’s happening across many  social media platforms. Users are looking for content that is relatable, honest, and transparent. The focus is no longer on perfectly curated feeds, cohesive aesthetics, or poised brand photos. As a creator, this is a significant advantage because it means you can spend less time on what your content looks like and more time on the message and emotions behind what you’re creating. 

Social media users are typically attracted to the value they feel you and your business can bring to their lives, but ultimately people want to see the person behind the brand. While your static posts are where you can showcase your content pillars and message behind your business, you’ll want to use both long and short form video content to showcase the person running the business—which is you. In the social media world, we call this the “know-like-trust” factor, and it can be a crucial factor in your ability to actually convert your followers into returning clients. 

Social media won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. It’s actually quite the opposite as platforms continue to evolve—and we’ll all have to adapt to keep up. Social media has proven to be a powerful method for businesses to attract ideal customers while also connecting with new audiences. Remember to focus on producing meaningful and relatable content that positions you as the expert and authoritative voice in your niche. 

So if you’re looking to build your social media presence in the most effective and efficient way, the time is now. There’s plenty of room for you, your voice, your message, and the unique value that only you can bring, so that you can serve others the best way you know how.